The moment that Kevin saw her pick the dog up, he started bounding and jumping beside her. ”We can keep him? Does this mean we get to keep him?”

Looking over, Lee saw her son still bouncing. Just like she could feel the dog wiggling in her arms.”You can take care of him until we find his home,” Lee told Kevin. And Lee was sure that the dog had to belong to someone. He seemed too clean, too well behaved, to friendly, to be a stray.

Starting to walk slowly, Lee kept her eyes on her son. ”But dogs are a lot of hard work. Are you sure that you can handle that?”

Til they can find his owner; that's what they always said, no matter what shift he used. But like always, he'd be gone and they'd be none the wiser. And usually, a little bit poorer. He was smirking on the inside, as things started to be looking up for him.

Jay let out a happy bark in response, snuggling up to the woman some more. He just hoped there was something he'd get out of this, besides another story he'd have no one to tell. He stopped squirming, relaxing in the woman's arms and letting his tongue loll lazily out of his mouth.

As they started walking, Kevin was literally bouncing down the walkway as they made their way toward the edge of the park, every so often running about ten feet ahead before riding back to Lee. Or, more likely, she figured, to the dog that she was carrying.

”I can't wait to tell daddy!” Kevin exclaimed. ”He's going to be so excited! Can I take Russel with me when I go over?”

Lee knew that Kevin was right; if the dog were to go with Kevin, Tarin would end up playing just as hard as the 6 year old. But then she blinked. ”Wait, who's Russel?”

”The dog,” Kevin replied in a rather matter of fact tone for a child. ”He needs a name. I think he looks like Russel.”

As they walked along, Lee simply shook her head at her son's reasoning. It did make sense, they probably should call him something other than ‘the dog’, but at the same time, Lee didn't plan on keeping the dog that long.

”We'll see what the vet says,” Lee said after a few moments when Kevin made his way back over to her so she didn't have to speak so loudly. ”If he has a microchip, maybe it'll tell us his name, to.”

Jay listened, occasionally barking or yapping or wagging his tail like an energetic pup should, but at the same time, the human mind inside the dog's head was analyzing the conversation, making a plan. So, from what he could gather, the Dad was still in the picture, but at the very least they were separated. Good; if he were to be discovered, there was a less a chance of some musclebound meathead beating the everloving crap out of him.

Wait...Russel? He had to give the kid credit there; he never would have pegged any of his many dog forms as a 'Russel.' He was sure this visit to the vet would go seamlessly, so he wasn't worried there. It was such a sweet little mother-son combo though; it reminded him of when his own mother was alive, which made him let out a sad, involuntary whine.

He almost felt bad for attempting to con them. Almost.

It didn't take long to find a Veterinarian’s office. And not much longer for her to be told that there was no microchip, but that the dog appeared to be in good health, Kevin bouncing around the whole time. That had definitely not been how Lee had been hoping this would go.

Unfortunately, that meant no easy way to find the owners. It also meant that since Lee had told Kevin he could care for the dog until they found the owners, they needed supplies. Which only excited Kevin even more as they walked around the pet store looking for dog food, a collar, and a leash.

At least after they had bought the supplies, it made things easier for Lee; walking a wiggly puppy beside a bouncing 6 year old was far easier than trying to carry a wiggly puppy.

It did not take long after that to get back home, and as soon as they got up to the apartment, and the door closed behind them, Lee crouched down and looked over at Kevin. ”Take Russel and go play,” Lee said as she unhooked the leash. ”I've got some work I need to do.”

Jay tolerated the vet, at best, though while he was being examined he did catch himself pondering something. How did disease or sickness work with his shifting? He had to guess that it would carry over like injuries did, but he wasn't about to get sick and check into a vet's office to find out. However, that also meant that he'd be able to run his con, because he obviously didn't have an owner. Well, obvious to him, anyway. Hopefully she'd never be any the wiser. It would really suck for him if she was some sort of mutant who could tell though....

And then, they went to the store, and he kept his bright-eyed bushy-tailed--literally--act going, looking around the store, tongue lolling out of his mouth. However, once they'd bought the leash and supplies, Jay had a choice to make. Should he be the well-trained, obviously somebody's dog, or should he go farther down the path of rambunctious little dickens?

He went with the latter, wanting to play and tug on the leash, occasionally running and nearly choking himself with it, making it obvious that he'd never been trained to walk on a leash. And technically, he hadn't. Once they got 'home' he looked around the house as best he could. He'd have to keep up the charade, but he'd have to find an opportunity when he was alone. Or maybe...he'd just stay awhile and reap the benefits of free room and board. And food, even though most dog foods sucked (the more expensive stuff actually wasn't that bad, but very few people put up that kind of money for a dog they found. And all things considered...that was understandable.)

When the leash was unhooked, he took off, scampering around the house before looking back at his new friend.

Seeing the dog tear of into the apartment as soon as she had unhooked the leash, Lee frowned and shook her head. The pulling on the leash and running, while Lee hadn't liked that, she could sort of understand; he had just been to the vet and had a bouncing playmate beside him. But running into the apartment like that was simply not acceptable.

Straightening up again, Lee watched her son kick his shoes off and follow the dog. ”We're going to have to work on that,” Lee muttered with another shake off her head as she made her own way into the apartment, though much slower. She had to check online for lost dog postings.

~~~~~~

It had been five days, five days longer than Lee had ever planned on having the dog, Russel as Kevin insisted on calling him. Still, even in those five days life with a dog had fallen into a comfortable pattern for Lee. Walking the dog in the mornings with Kevin (he had been the one to want the dog, so he was going to be the one to ‘care’ for him), stopping for coffee on the way. Then getting Kevin ready for school and heading to Rachel's boutique after dropping Kevin off. In the afternoon, she would grab Russel on her way to pick Kevin up, stopping at a park on the way home so they could both run off some energy before supper. And finally one more walk before Lee crashed for the night

Russel had even started getting better about not pulling on the leash during walks. Except for when he, or Kevin, decided she was taking too long to get into the park.

But that morning was different. The morning walk and getting Kevin to school had gone normally, however, as she shifted her bag to start walking once Kevin was inside the school, Lee realized that she had left her laptop at home. Grumbling, how was she supposed to do the work she was planning without her computer, Lee asked her course to head back home.

Jay wasn't going to lie, this was a pretty sweet setup he had going on here. This woman lived life by a very set schedule, and while he could respect that, it was fairly easy to learn. He had a fair amount of time before she'd come home to pick him up and go get the boy, Kevin, he believed the name was. Careful, Jay. You learn their names, you start getting attached.

It had been five days, and while he could easily take what he wanted and scram before the woman even got home, he thought he'd stick around a little longer. As usual, when he was brought home, he found his spot next to the couch and curled up for a nap. But, after living on nothing but dog food, he figured it was time for something...worth eating. So, as soon as he was left alone, he uncurled from his napping spot, yawned, then padded into the kitchen before shifting back human.

Of course he hadn't any clothes, but he didn't need them. Actually, he was kind of starting to like it here; maybe he could figure out how to live as a dog and only moonlight as a human? Oh well.

He opened the fridge, rooting through it to see what he could find, finally settling on a cup of yogurt. Simple, but maybe she wouldn't miss it. He grabbed a spoon and closed the fridge door, just eating where he stood, his keener-than-average senses listening for anything out of place. After all, one never could be too careful.

Though, he had to wonder...if a dog is taken into the house, and shifts to human inside, is it really breaking and entering? He savored a bite of yogurt as he pondered this thought.

As Lee stepped into the apartment, she frowned. Rachel should have already been gone, as far as Lee had been able to tell, she had been ready to go, to head to her shop, before Lee and Kevin had left. The apartment should have been empty. So why did Lee feel energy? Why was her sister still home?

Closing the door and flocking the lock automatically (she was a single mother in New York, afterall) Lee stepped further into the apartment, ready to ask Rachel what was going on.

And stopped dead when she saw the man standing in her kitchen. The naked man standing in her kitchen. The naked man eating a yogurt in her kitchen.

Letting her bag slide from her shoulder, Lee took a slow step forward, her eyes locked on the man. ”Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?” she demanded.

Jay had set the empty yogurt cup on the counter, washing his spoon and setting it in the dish drainer as he pondered these things. Due to the running water, he missed the subtle sounds of the door opening, closing and locking, followed by footsteps.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?"

He spun around to see the woman, who was none too happy to see him. Grabbing his yogurt cup, he tossed it in the trash. If nothing else, at least he cleaned up after himself. Normally, this would have been the perfect time to hit on her, but considering the circumstances, he opted against it for now.

Thinking quickly, he shifted; since it was a small apartment, and dogs had no way of opening a door, he decided to use Russel. Once he was a corgi, he bolted straight for the living room with the intention of hiding under the sofa.

The man, the naked man, didn't say anything. He simply turned to look at her, then threw out the yogurt cup as casually as if he lived there. That only added to her anger, and her confusion about what he was doing there.

Then, suddenly, without a word, the man was gone, and Russel was running off, claws scratching on the floor, into the living room.

Lee groaned, closing her eyes momentarily, before following the dog to the living room. No, but the dog, the mutant. The naked, male mutant, she had brought into the apartment.

As she entered the living room, Lee saw the tail end of the dog squeezing under the couch. Shaking her head, Lee sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch. At least this answered how he had gotten into her home, but not who he was, out why he was there.

”You do realize that you're not leaving until you answer my questions, right?” Lee asked, still able to see the tail. ”You probably wouldn't like me actually getting angry. Now, I'll ask one more time, who are you, and what are you doing pretending to be a list dog?”

On the one hand, she was right. There was literally no way he could get out in this or any other form. But if he turned back human, she could tase him or something. And in today's world, one really had no idea what any given person could do. He figured that's why most normal humans didn't like mutants, because there was no way of knowing. Though, he hoped she was just a pretty lady without powers; just a bad temper. But knowing his luck...

Squeezing out the other end of the couch(and realizing maybe his corgi shift could afford to lose a pound or two in the rear), he shifted back into human. At least now there was a piece of furniture between them.

"I was just in the park as a dog. Kevin--cute kid by the way--caught me off guard. I figured what would spending a little time with a family hurt. I was sort of thinking of a way I could pose as my own owner and get out, but...it didn't work that way. And the yogurt? Well...man can't live on dog food alone, right?" he gave a nervous smile at his own joke. He was lying through his teeth, so hopefully she wasn't like a human lie-detector or anything like that. "Also...I can't shift clothes...which makes things rather....complicated..." Okay, that part was true.

It took a few moments, long enough that Lee was starting to wonder if she was going to have to actually bend down and pull the dog or from under the couch. But finally, the tail started to disappear from sight, and then the man appeared on the other side of the couch.

The naked man.

”Spending time…” Lee just shook her head, and with the moment she caught sight of a blanket on the attn of the couch. ”What is it with shifters forgetting that not everyone is so comfortable with nudity? At least cover up before the neighbours call the cops.” As she spoke, Lee grabbed the blanket and tossed it over to the man.

Then Lee took a deep breath. She knew how lonely life could be for a young mutant, and of he spent a lot of his time as a dog…

”First of, what's your name? Cause I doubt my son guessed right with ’Russel’. And don't think this means you're off the hook,” Lee continued, holding up a finger. ”I'm still pissed you tricked your way into my home.

“But do you actually have a place to live?” Lee continued, her voice softening slightly. ”And where'd you stash clothes?”

"It's honestly not a comfort thing," Jay corrected as politely as he could manage. "Most shifters--at least the ones I've met, anyway--are for whatever reason unable to shift clothing. Trust me, it's as awkward for me as it is for you." Almost...

He grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around himself like some sort of toga from hell before she took what he gathered was a motherly tone at him. And not the sweet mother, either; more like one of those annoyed ones that could kick your ass at any given moment. And like a teenager...Jay pressed his luck.

"Actually, I didn't 'trick' my way anywhere. Tricking involves planning and an endgame. This was more or less a run of bad luck and I got caught before I could make a clean getaway without any damage done. I do have a place to live, if I had clothes stashed somewhere, I would have attempted to go for them by now, and your son actually got it right. It's Russel," he said, the statement about clothes being the only true thing he'd said.

"Now, if you'd be so kind as to open the door, I can be on my way."

It wasn't a comfort thing? Lee wasn't as sure about that as he seemed to be. At least the other shifters she had met had seemed rather comfortable with their nudity. And despite his words, this guy seemed to be feeling pretty darn comfortable standing in her apartment naked as the day he was born.

But at least he was wrapping the blanket around himself. That made things a little less awkward.

”Just because you didn't plan this, per second, doesn't mean you didn't trick us,” Lee said, a hint of anger entering her voice. ”You've been in my home, with my son , for five days.

“And what do you mean you don't have clothes stashed somewhere?” Lee asked, suddenly confused. ”If dogs can't open doors, how did you leave your place without someone calling the cops on you?

Then ‘Russel’ went on to ask her to open the door so he could simply be on his way. Yeah, no, not quite yet. Lee simply stated where she was. Then she had another thought, and her head cocked to the side. He'd been there for the last five days straight, yet claimed he had a place to live? ”What about your job? I doubt they'll be happy you've been gone for so long.”